Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen announced Thursday (May 7) she is appealing a Supreme Court of Finland “hate speech” conviction to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The appeal follows a March 26 Supreme Court ruling that overturned two previous lower court acquittals. In a 3-2 decision, the high court found Räsänen guilty for expressing her biblical views on marriage and sexual ethics in a 20-year-old church pamphlet.
The court also criminally convicted Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland for publishing the 2004 pamphlet, according to the legal rights group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.
“I will appeal the judgment of the Supreme Court of Finland to the European Court of Human Rights,” Räsänen said. “I trust that the ECtHR will recognize the need to safeguard freedom of speech and religion in Finland and across Europe. I hope that in Strasbourg it will be acknowledged that the peaceful expression of convictions is not a crime.”
Räsänen, who served as Finland’s Minister of Interior from 2011 to 2015, emphasized that labeling opinions as crimes seriously restricts freedom of expression, noting that others remain free to oppose and criticize her views.
The Supreme Court levied fines of several thousand euros on both Räsänen and Pohjola and ordered the removal and destruction of the statements in question. Räsänen’s fine totaled 1,800 euros – equivalent to 20 days’ wages – and she must cover her own legal costs.
Pohjola received a similar 20-day fine, while his publishing house, the Finnish Lutheran Foundation, must pay 5,000 euros. The court based the convictions on the act of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.”
Räsänen noted the unprecedented nature of the ruling, pointing out that the court partially censored the 2004 pamphlet, “Male and Female He Created Them,” and prohibited its publication in its current form. The court deemed lawful a separate tweet Räsänen addressed to the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which referenced Chapter 1 of the biblical Epistle to the Romans to criticize the church’s support for a Gay Pride event.
While the Supreme Court admitted the pamphlet did not incite violence or threaten hostility, it still considered the text “insulting to homosexuals as a group.” Räsänen disagreed with the judgment, stating the court falsely claimed she regarded homosexuals as inferior.
She pointed to text in the pamphlet stating that “all people are equal and of equal value.” Räsänen argued the ruling creates a “lack of clarity” in the law, noting that nine of the 12 judges involved across three court levels did not see anything criminal in the pamphlet.
Räsänen has served as a member of Parliament for 31 years. A medical doctor and grandmother of 12, she has faced criminal proceedings for seven years.
“My writings do not arise from hatred, but from compassion and the aim of encouraging church communities toward openness and love of neighbor,” she added.
She expressed gratitude to her legal team and ADF International, vowing to continue the legal battle with a “calm mind and confidence.”
